When Old Man Winter comes knocking at your Archstone apartment door, you want to be prepared for the bitter cold, wind and snow he usually brings along with him. We winterize our cars at the end of Autumn, so why not take the necessary steps to ensure your apartment is prepared for the harsh cold temperatures that December, January, February and sometimes March bring to many parts of the country. If you live in sunny Los Angeles, you may not need to winterize your apartment to the extent a New York City resident must. Regardless of where you live, winterizing your apartment is a good idea to ensure your utilities work well and efficiently during the winter season. Try these measures to winterize your apartment this year and keep your utility bills down:

Keep the thermostat turned down by setting the temperature to a couple of degrees lower than you usually do because for every degree you turn it down, you will save about 3% of your heating bill. Some experts even suggest keeping it as low as 55 degrees at night and 65 during the day. Program your thermostat to start the heat up about an hour before you arise in the morning, and then back down during the day while you’re at work. There’s no need to have heat blaring while you’re not even at your apartment. You can always get warmer by putting on a sweater or sweatshirt when you hang around the house. When you get your bill, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve saved!

Put plastic around your windows to prevent cold air from seeping in because drafty windows can cause a bill to go up about 30%! Multiply that over 12 months, and we’re looking at hundreds of dollars here for the average home. For a $30 investment, you can save over a hundred dollars a month. Want to learn how you can quickly and easily cover your windows? Check out videos courtesy of youtube...

Close heating vents (registers) that you don’t need open. For instance, if there’s a room in your apartment like a spare bedroom or office that is rarely used, close off the registers in that room. Keep the door closed too because the less space you heat, the less money you have to spend.

Eliminate window air conditioners from your apartment. If your landlord allows window units, there’s really no reason to ever install one after September, and if you’re not able to remove the window air conditioners, ask your landlord to purchase an insulated cover for the units as these are like an open door to the cold outside air.

Use weather stripping around your doors and windows; it’s very inexpensive and will save you money in the long run.